Carbon/Albany County FSA Updates - Farm Service Agency

May 2020

? From the CED ? USDA Announces Details of Direct Assistance to Farmers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program ? New Feature Helps Producers Find Farm Loans that Fit Their Operation

Carbon/Albany County FSA Updates

Carbon/Albany County FSA Office

101 Cypress Ave; PO Box 607 Saratoga, WY 82331

Phone: 307-326-5657 Fax: 855-415-3441

County Executive Director: Sheryl Hunter

From the CED

Greetings Carbon and Albany County customers-

Happy May to all of you! I hope that calving and lambing are going well, and everyone is enjoying the warmer spring weather. As a reminder, the office will be closed to the public due to the ongoing world-wide health concerns. I am continuing to provide services via telephone, email, and postal mail. There is extremely high call volume so if you receive the voice mail system when calling in, please leave your name, number and brief message I will return your call as soon as possible.

Farm Loan Manager: Dixie Mount - 307-322-4050

County Committee: Ryan Harris, Cheryl Munroe, Savanah Chant, Mary Ann Boles, and Robin Carter

I know that must, if not all of you, are waiting for details of the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) that has come out of the CARES package funding. I am going to start by mentioning some of the other very important things that can cause the "future you" some issues, if you do not remember them.

Just a few reminders:

Next County Committee Meeting: TBD

* if you lose livestock due to an eligible weather event, make sure that you notify the office within 30 calendar days of knowing of the loss.

* Acreage reports are required to be filed in the office by July 15th! This includes everyone who has an interest in alfalfa, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and/or do not have a continuous certification on file.

Producers are reminded to keep updated livestock inventory records. These records are necessary in the event of a natural disaster.

When disasters strike, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) can assist producers who suffered excessive livestock death losses and grazing or feed losses due to eligible natural disasters.

To participate in livestock disaster assistance programs, producers will be required to provide verifiable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent. For grazing or feed losses, producers must submit a notice of loss to their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent and should maintain documentation and receipts.

Now for the much anticipated CFAP program information:

Sign up will begin on May 26th and run through August 28, 2020. This is NOT a first apply, first pay program. The National Office has assured us that every eligible producer will receive a payment.

An eligible applicant is any individual or entity with ownership risk of identified commodities as of January 15, 2020 and/or April 16- May 14, 2020 and were subject to price risk. Price risk is defined as any production, sales, and/or inventory that is not subject to an agreed-upon price in the future through a forward contract, agreement, or similar binding document. The applicant and/or entity members must either be a US citizen, resident alien, or foreign person that meets the foreign person rules; and meets all eligibility requirements. Eligible commodities are malting barley, canola, corn, upland cotton, millet, oats, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, Durum wheat, Hard Red Spring Wheat, and wool. Eligible livestock include feeder cattle less than 600 pounds, feeder cattle over 600 pounds, slaughter cattle-fed cattle, slaughter cattle- mature cattle, all other cattle, pigs less than 120 pounds, hogs over 120 pounds, and all sheep less than 2 years old. To clarify, feeder cattle are cattle that either weigh less than 600 pounds or more than 600 pounds and less than 1400 pounds on January 15, 2020 and intended for slaughter. Slaughter cattle-fed cattle are cattle weight 1400 pounds and are intended for slaughter. Slaughter cattle- mature cattle means any culled cattle used for breeding purposes, but which were removed from breeding inventory and are intended for slaughter. All other cattle mean commercially raised or maintained cattle not meeting the definition of another category of cattle.

Applications for this program will be taken by phone, fax, and/or email as the office is closed to in person, customer contact at this time. I can be contacted by phone at 307-326-5657 ext. 2; fax at 855-415-3441; or email at sheryl.hunter@. The information taken will be loaded into the computer software and then the required forms will be emailed, faxed or mailed by postal service to you for completion and signatures. The completed forms will then be returned to the office by either of the previously stated ways. Once received in the office, the application folder will have to be reviewed by a 2nd party (separate person from who data loaded everything) and taken to County Committee for action. After County Committee makes their determinations, a letter notifying you of the determination will be sent and the payment, if approved, will be issued. The payments will be issued as soon as possible after County Committee approval and direct deposited into the account that you gave us in the application process.

You may also access additional information and forms on the national website at cfap. If you decide to access and complete the

required eligibility forms and/or application from this site, the completed and signed forms along with the supporting documentation will need to be submitted to the County Office for processing. Please note that incomplete and/or incorrectly filed forms may result in a delay in processing at the county office.

Please see additional information below on the program.

Thank you for your understanding during this time of continual change.

USDA Announces Details of Direct Assistance to Farmers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America's farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to this direct support to farmers and ranchers, USDA's Farmers to Families Food Box program is partnering with regional and local distributors, whose workforces have been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other food service entities, to purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat and deliver boxes to Americans in need.

"America's farming community is facing an unprecedented situation as our nation tackles the coronavirus. President Trump has authorized USDA to ensure our patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers are supported and we are moving quickly to open applications to get payments out the door and into the pockets of farmers," said Secretary Perdue. "These payments will help keep farmers afloat while market demand returns as our nation reopens and recovers. America's farmers are resilient and will get through this challenge just like they always do with faith, hard work, and determination."

Beginning May 26, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Farm Service Agency (FSA), will be accepting applications from agricultural producers who have suffered losses.

Background:

CFAP provides vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a fivepercent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.

Farmers and ranchers will receive direct support, drawn from two possible funding sources. The first source of funding is $9.5 billion in appropriated funding provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act to compensate farmers for losses due to price declines that occurred between midJanuary 2020, and mid-April 2020 and provides support for specialty crops for product that had been shipped from the farm between the same time period but subsequently spoiled due to loss of marketing channels. The second funding source uses the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to compensate producers for $6.5 billion in losses due to on-going market disruptions.

Non-Specialty Crops and Wool Non-specialty crops eligible for CFAP payments include malting barley, canola, corn, upland cotton, millet, oats, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers, durum wheat, and hard red spring wheat. Wool is also eligible. Producers will be paid based on inventory subject to price risk held as of January 15, 2020. A payment will be made based 50 percent of a producer's 2019 total production or the 2019 inventory as of January 15, 2020, whichever is smaller, multiplied by the commodity's applicable payment rates.

Livestock Livestock eligible for CFAP include cattle, lambs, yearlings and hogs. The total payment will be calculated using the sum of the producer's number of livestock sold between January 15 and April 15, 2020, multiplied by the payment rates per head, and the highest inventory number of livestock between April 16 and May 14, 2020, multiplied by the payment rate per head.

Dairy For dairy, the total payment will be calculated based on a producer's certification of milk production for the first quarter of calendar year 2020 multiplied by a national price decline during the same quarter. The second part of the payment is based a national adjustment to each producer's production in the first quarter.

Specialty Crops For eligible specialty crops, the total payment will be based on the volume of production sold between January 15 and April 15, 2020; the volume of production shipped, but unpaid; and the number of acres for which harvested production did not leave the farm or mature product destroyed or not harvested during that same time period, and which have not and will not be sold. Specialty crops include, but are not limited to, almonds, beans, broccoli, sweet corn, lemons, iceberg lettuce, spinach, squash, strawberries and tomatoes. A full list of eligible crops can be found on cfap. Additional crops may be deemed eligible at a later date.

Eligibility There is a payment limitation of $250,000 per person or entity for all commodities combined. Applicants who are corporations, limited liability companies or limited partnerships may qualify for additional payment limits where members actively provide personal labor or personal management for the farming operation. Producers will also have to certify they meet the Adjusted Gross Income limitation of $900,000 unless at least 75 percent or more of their income is derived from farming, ranching or forestry-related activities. Producers must also be in compliance with Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation provisions.

Applying for Assistance Producers can apply for assistance beginning on May 26, 2020. Additional information and application forms can be found at cfap. Producers of all eligible commodities will apply through their local FSA office. Documentation to support the producer's application and certification may be requested. FSA has streamlined the signup process to not require an acreage report at the time of application and a USDA farm number may not be immediately needed. Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020.

Payment Structure To ensure the availability of funding throughout the application period, producers will receive 80 percent of their maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date as funds remain available.

USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at coronavirus.

New Feature Helps Producers Find Farm Loans that Fit Their Operation

A new online tool can help farmers and ranchers find information on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

farm loans that may best fit their operations. USDA has launched the new Farm Loan Discovery Tool

as the newest feature on , the Department's self-service website for farmers.

USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers a variety of loan options to help farmers finance their operations. From buying land to financing the purchase of equipment, FSA loans can help. Compared to this time last year, FSA has seen an 18 percent increase in the amount it has obligated for direct farm ownership loans, and through the 2018 Farm Bill, has increased the limits for several loan products.

USDA conducted field research in eight states, gathering input from farmers and FSA farm loan staff to better understand their needs and challenges.

How the Tool Works

Farmers who are looking for financing options to operate a farm or buy land can answer a few simple questions about what they are looking to fund and how much money they need to borrow. After submitting their answers, farmers will be provided information on farm loans that best fit their specific needs. The loan application and additional resources also will be provided.

Farmers can download application quick guides that outline what to expect from preparing an application to receiving a loan decision. There are four guides that cover loans to individuals, entities, and youth, as well as information on microloans. The guides include general eligibility requirements and a list of required forms and documentation for each type of loan. These guides can help farmers prepare before their first USDA service center visit with a loan officer.

Farmers can access the Farm Loan Discovery Tool by visiting fund and clicking the "Start"

button. Follow the prompts and answer five simple questions to receive loan information that is applicable to your agricultural operation. The tool is built to run on any modern browser like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or the Safari browser, and is fully functional on mobile devices. It does not work in Internet Explorer.

About

In 2018, USDA unveiled , a dynamic, mobile-friendly public website combined with an authenticated portal where farmers will be able to apply for programs, process transactions, and manage accounts.

The Farm Loan Discovery Tool is one of many resources on to help connect farmers to information that can help their operations. Earlier this year, USDA launched the My Financial Information feature, which enables farmers to view their loan information, history, payments, and alerts by

logging into the website.

USDA is building for farmers, by farmers. In addition to the interactive farm loan features, the site also offers a Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool. Farmers can visit recover/disasterassistance-tool#step-1 to find disaster assistance programs that can help their operation recover from natural disasters.

With feedback from customers and field employees who serve those customers, delivers farmerfocused features through an agile, iterative process to deliver the greatest immediate value to America's agricultural producers ? helping farmers and ranchers do right, and feed everyone.

For more information or to locate your USDA Service Center, visit .

Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in this meeting should contact Sheryl Hunter at 307-326-5657 extension 2 or Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

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